The present exemplary embodiment relates to automotive vehicles having an internal combustion engine. It finds particular application in vehicles in which temperature control of the environment surrounding a battery is advantageous, and will be described with particular reference thereto. However, it is to be appreciated that the present exemplary embodiment is also amenable to other similar applications.
Lead-acid storage batteries are commonly used in electrical systems of automotive vehicles to provide electric energy for operating starter motors to crank engines that power the vehicles. During running of an engine, an alternator that is driven by the engine keeps the battery recharged through an electric regulator. It is generally desirable for the battery to be located in proximity to the engine so that ohmic losses can be minimized during cranking when current draw on the battery is relatively high. Over time, the battery ages, and eventually reaches a point where it is incapable of sustaining sufficient charge to serve the needs of a vehicle.
Heat is a contributor to battery aging, and because an engine in an engine compartment can at times be a source of significant heat, various arrangements have heretofore been proposed to shield the battery from engine heat. For example, it is generally known to associate an engine intake system for an internal combustion engine with a storage battery so that the battery is shielded from heat via the intake airflow. Certain arrangements use blowers and/or other moving parts to accomplish this objective. It is believed that such components increase the cost of a battery protection system and that it would therefore be beneficial if meaningful battery protection could be accomplished without such components. One such passive structure is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,542,489 which is discussed below.
Referring now to FIG. 1, an engine compartment 10 of a vehicle includes a thermal chamber 12 for holding a battery 14. Thermal chamber 12 receives air via an inlet opening (not shown) through either an ambient air duct 16 or through a hot air duct 18. Air entering thermal chamber 12 exits via an outlet opening 19 through outlet duct 20 which is coupled at a first end to the outlet opening 19 and at a second end to an engine air intake 22. Ambient air duct 16 receives air via convection from outside of the engine compartment 10 and transports the air, which is at a temperature substantially equal to the outside air temperature, into the thermal chamber 12. Hot air duct 18 is coupled to an exhaust manifold (not shown) of the engine to receive heated exhaust gas produced by the engine. Air travelling through thermal chamber 12 is filtered by air filter 24 before entering outlet duct 20. The air filtered by filter 24 is sucked into the intake manifold 22 of the vehicle engine. Use of air ducts 16, 18 and 20 for transporting air to the intake manifold advantageously reduced components in the engine compartment, thus saving space and reducing cost.
A lid 26 which is mounted on the interior 27 of engine compartment hood 28 functions as a filter cover to seal the thermal chamber from air and dust in the engine compartment when the hood 28 is in a closed position. As seen in FIG. 1, opening of the engine compartment hood advantageously opens the thermal chamber 12, thus providing access to the battery as well as other engine components. Battery 14 is secured inside the thermal chamber 12 by way of a clamp 30 which is shaped to fit into a groove 32 on the battery. The clamp 30 is secured to the thermal chamber 12 by a bolt 34. A similar clamp mounted to the thermal chamber is positioned on the opposite side of the battery and fits into a groove similar to groove 32.
One shortcoming associated with the use of this type of system is that it can feed water and snow into the engine. The present disclosed embodiment advantageously reduces the amount of water and snow that reach the engine yet provides battery cooling.